Little Richard - His Greatest Recordings

Side A:
01. Ready Teddy
02. Rip It Up
03. The Girl Can't Help It
04. I'll Never Let You Go
05. Miss Ann
06. Good Golly, Miss Molly
07. Lucille
08. Keep A Knockin'

Side B:
01. Can't Believe You Wanna Leave
02. Tutti Frutti
03. Heeby-Jeebies
04. Send Me Some Lovin'
05. Chicken Little Baby
06. Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey
07. She's Got It
08. Long Tall Sally

His Greatest Recordings (Mega)

His Greatest Recordings (Zippy)

Rock and roll starts here? Probably. We don't have all of Little Richard's greatest recordings on this collection as "Jenny Jenny" and "Slippin' And Slidin'" are missing. Indeed "Chicken Little Baby" is an odd choice for an LP of "greatest recordings" as it is basically a demo with Little Richard accompanying himself on piano. Later, when Specialty were desperately looking around for Little Richard material to release, they alighted on the demo and dubbed on some backing. It was pretty crap though, so only the Good Lord knows what it's doing in here.

Speaking of whom - this collection represents perhaps the greatest 2 year oeuvre in rock and roll history - the sides recorded for Specialty Records between September 1955 and October 1957 by THE wildman of rock, the man with the makeup, the pompadour, the pencil thin moustache, the suit that's two sizes too big, the screeching, wailing, sinning, debauched former Princess Lavonne, the Georgia Peach himself, laydeezingennelmen, the one and only Little Richard.

Then he found God, in Australia of all places, and the conveyor belt of howling rock and roll classics stopped. There were gospel recordings, there were comebacks as Little Richard strayed from the right hand path and got off the good foot, there were re-recordings of his Specialty hits for various labels like VeeJay and Modern, there were further spells of righteous preaching whenever he renounced sinning, and Little Richard became best known for being Little Richard. "He got what he wanted, but he lost what he had."

Nothing Little Richard subsequently recorded approached the level of his 1955 - 1957 sides, many of which were recorded at Cosimo Mattassa's J & M Studio in New Orleans with stunning backing by Lee Allen, Alvin "Red" Tyler and Earl Palmer. Some of the tracks on this collection feature Little Richard's own band, The Upsetters, who were almost as good as the New Orleans gang. Recording and release dates and personnel are listed below in the "Fax" section. The download includes an Easter egg which will make everything clear to the seekers after knowledge.

The Fax On The Rockin' Tracks:

Tutti Frutti recorded at the J & M Studio, New Orleans on 14th September, 1955. Personnel: Little Richard (vocal, piano); Lee Allen (tenor sax); Alvin "Red" Tyler (baritone sax); Huey Smith (piano); Justin Adams (guitar); Frank Fields (bass); Earl Palmer (drums).

Tutti Frutti / I'm Just A Lonely Guy - released on Specialty 561 in October 1955.

Chicken Little Baby demo recorded at the Specialty Office, Los Angeles in late 1955. Little Richard (piano, vocal).

A version with dubbed on drums and vocal group was released on Specialty LP 2104 "The Fabulous Little Richard" in March 1959.

Long Tall Sally and Miss Ann were recorded at the J & M Studio, New Orleans on 7th February, 1956. Personnel: Little Richard (piano, vocal); Lee Allen (tenor sax); Alvin "Red" Tyler (baritone sax); Edgar Blanchard (guitar); Frank Fields (bass); Earl Palmer (drums).

Long Tall Sally / Slippin' And Slidin' - released on Specialty 572 in March 1956.

Jenny Jenny / Miss Ann - released on Specialty 606 in May 1957.

Ready Teddy, Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey, and Rip It Up recorded at the J & M Studio, New Orleans on 9th May, 1956. Personnel: Little Richard (piano, vocal); Lee Allen (tenor sax); Alvin "Red" Tyler (baritone sax); Edgar Blanchard (guitar); Ernest McLean (guitar); Frank Fields (bass); Earl Palmer (drums). No piano on "Rip It Up."

Rip It Up / Ready Teddy - released on Specialty 579 in June 1956.

Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey - B-Side of Good Golly Miss Molly (Specialty 624) in January 1958.

Lucille and Heeby-Jeebies recorded at the J & M Studio, New Orleans on 30th July 1956. Personnel: Little Richard (piano, vocal); Lee Allen (tenor sax); Alvin "Red" Tyler (baritone sax); Roy Montrell (guitar); Frank Fields (bass); Earl Palmer (drums).

Heeby-Jeebies / She's Got It - released on Specialty 584 in October 1956.

Lucille / Send Me Some Lovin' - released on Specialty 598 in February 1957.

Can't Believe You Wanna Leave  recorded at the J & M Studio, New Orleans on 1st August, 1956. Personnel: Little Richard (piano, vocal); Lee Allen (tenor sax); Alvin "Red" Tyler (baritone sax); Roy Montrell (guitar); Frank Fields (bass); Earl Palmer (drums).

Released as B -Side of "Keep A Knockin'" on Specialty 611 in September 1957.

She's Got It recorded at Master Recorders, Los Angeles on 6th September 1956. Personnel: Little Richard and The Upsetters - Little Richard (piano, vocal); Wilbert Smith (tenor sax); Grady Gaines (tenor sax); Clifford Burks (tenor sax); Jewel Grant (baritone sax); Nathaniel Douglas (guitar); Olsie Richard Robinson (bass); Charles William Connor (drums).

Released as B-Side of Heeby Jeebies on Specialty 584 in October 1956.

Good Golly, Miss Molly recorded at the J & M Studio, New Orleans on 15th October 1956. Personnel: Little Richard (piano, vocal); Lee Allen (tenor sax); Alvin "Red" Tyler (baritone sax); Roy Montrell (guitar); Frank Fields (bass); Earl Palmer (drums).

Good Golly Miss Molly / Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey - released on Specialty 624 in January 1958.

The Girl Can't Help It and Send Me Some Lovin' were recorded at the J & M Studio, New Orleans on 16th October 1956. Personnel the same as the previous day, but add vocal group on "The Girl Can't Help It" - Adolph Smith, William Tircuit, Art Neville and Junior Gordon.

The Girl Can't Help It / All Around The World - released on Specialty 591 in November 1956.

Lucille / Send Me Some Lovin' - released on Specialty 598 in February 1957.

Keep A Knockin' recorded at a radio station in Washington D.C. on 16th January 1957. Personnel:  Little Richard and The Upsetters - Little Richard (piano, vocal); Wilbert Smith (tenor sax); Grady Gaines (tenor sax); Samuel Parker (baritone sax); Nathaniel Douglas (guitar); Olsie Richard Robinson (bass); Charles William Connor (drums).

Keep A Knockin' / Can't Believe You Wanna Leave - released on Specialty 611 in September 1957.

I'll Never Let You Go recorded at Master Recorders, Los Angeles on 18th October, 1957. Personnel: Little Richard and The Upsetters - Little Richard (piano, vocal); Clifford Burke (tenor sax); Wilbert Smith (tenor sax); Grady Gaines (tenor sax); Nathaniel Douglas (guitar); Olsie Richard Robinson (bass); Charles William Connor (drums).

Released as the B-Side of Baby Face on Specialty 654 in August 1958.

 Further Listening

Little Richard's Specialty sides have remained in print in one form or another since the 1950's. They're public domain now in the UK so there is a multiplicity of reasonably priced collections available. Beware of issues of his post Specialty sides which may contain re-recordings of his greatest hits.

I have this Jasmine set in my CD collection -

"She Knows How To Rock" - a 2 CD collection of the great man's Specialty singles in chronological order. Includes the sides he recorded in a brief return to the label in 1964. Jasmine JASCD 545.

I also have - 

"The Specialty Sessions" (3SPCD 8508-2) - a 3 CD collection which includes loads of outtakes, alternate takes and generally more Little Richard than most casual fans need. Each CD has notes by Ray Topping and also included is a 20 page booklet which, unfortunately, seems to be the same book which was issued when this set was released on vinyl and has simply been reduced in size for the CD box. This has made the text illegible without the aid of an electron microscope. However thanks to the invention of scanners and graphic image software the booklet can now be made legible again.

Mo' rockin' stuff in the pipeline!

He's Got It!

Joe Liggins And His Honeydrippers

Side 1:
01. Pink Champagne
02. I've Got A Right To Cry
03. The Honeydripper
04. Rhythm In The Barnyard Part 1
05. Little Joe's Boogie
06. So Alone
07. Rain, Rain, Rain

Side 2:
01. Boogie Woogie Lou
02. Tanya
03. Dripper's Boogie
04. Freight Train Blues
05. The Big Dipper
06. Whiskey, Women & Loaded Dice
07. Do You Love Me Pretty Baby?

Joe Liggins And His Honeydrippers (Mega)

Joe Liggins And His Honeydrippers (Zippy)

A 1980s compilation of some of the sides Joe Liggins recorded for Specialty between 1950 and 1954. The Joe Liggins story has already been outlined on previous posts of his 1940s Exclusive sides compiled on the Jukebox Lil LPs "The Honey Dripper" and "Darktown Strutters Ball."

This collection includes some of the Specialty re-recordings of Joe's Exclusive hits - "The Honeydripper" (his big 1945 hit), "I've Got A Right To Cry" and "Tanya" which were both originally hits in 1946, plus "Dripper's Boogie," another 1946 side.

However it was Joe's new material which provided a short series of big sellers on Specialty. "Pink Champagne" was the top selling R&B record of 1950. "Little Joe's Boogie" was a hit in 1951 along with a side not on this compilation, "Frankie Lee." Compared to the 1940s sides, the tracks on this LP are punchier, with the regular Honeydrippers lineup being augmented by sax players such as Maxwell Davis and Floyd Turnham. This is good California jump with extra zing!

Fax on the Jumpin' Trax

Pink Champagne recorded in Los Angeles on January 20th, 1950. Personnel: Joe Liggins (vocal , piano), with Willie Jackson (alto and baritone saxes); James Jackson and Maxwell Davis (tenor saxes); Frank Pasley (guitar); Eddie A. Davis (bass); Peppy Prince (drums).

Rhythm In The Barnyard Part 1; I've Got A Right To Cry - recorded in Los Angeles on April 13th, 1950. Personnel as above.

The Honeydripper - recorded in Los Angeles on April 24th, 1950. Personnel as above except Floyd Turnham replaces Maxwell Davis on tenor sax.

Little Joe's Boogie - recorded in Los Angeles on October 1st, 1950. Personnel as above.

So Alone - recorded in Los Angeles on June 28th, 1951. Personnel:  Joe Liggins (vocal, piano) with: Willie Jackson (alto and baritone saxes); James Jackson (tenor sax); William Woodman (tenor sax); Floyd Turnham (sax, clarinet); Harold Grant (guitar); William Cooper (bass); Nathaniel McFay (drums).

Boogie Woogie Lou; Rain, Rain, Rain - recorded in Los Angeles on October 11th, 1951. Personnel: Joe Liggins (vocal, piano) with: Floyd Turnham (sax, clarinet); Maxwell Davis and William Woodman (tenor saxes); Harold Grant (guitar); William Cooper (bass); Nathaniel McFay (drums); Candy Rivers (vocal) on "Rain, Rain, Rain".

Tanya; Dripper's Boogie - recorded in Los Angeles on March 20th, 1952. Personnel: Joe Liggins (vocal, piano) with: Willie Jackson (alto and baritone saxes); William Woodman (tenor sax); Floyd Turnham (sax, clarinet); Harold Grant (guitar); William Cooper (bass); Nathaniel McFay (drums).

Freight Train Blues - recorded in Los Angeles on December 10th, 1952. Personnel: as above but add Dell (Christine) St. John (vocal). 

The Big Dipper; Whiskey, Women & Loaded Dice - recorded in Los Angeles on July 8th, 1953. Personnel: Joe Liggins (vocal, piano) with: Jewell Grant (alto sax); Ewell "Bo" Rhambo and William Woodman (tenor saxes); Floyd Turnham (clarinet, sax); Harold Grant (guitar); Red Callender (bass); Nathaniel McFay (drums).

Do You Love Me Pretty Baby? - recorded in Los Angeles on March 12th, 1954. Personnel: Joe Liggins (vocal, piano); with: Lawrence E. Lofton (trombone); Floyd Turnham (tenor sax); Harold Grant (guitar); Theodore Shirley (bass); Earl Carter (drums).

The Releases:

Pink Champagne / Sentimental Lover - released on Specialty 355 in April 1950.

I've Got A Right To Cry / The Honeydripper - released on Specialty 338 in June 1950.

Rhythm In The Barnyard Part 1 / Rhythm In The Barnyard Part II - released on Specialty 368 in July 1950.

Little Joe's Boogie / Daddy On My Mind - released on Specialty 379 in December 1950. 

Oh How I Miss You / So Alone - released on Specialty 413 in October 1951.

Boogie Woogie Lou / Rain, Rain, Rain - released on Specialty 426 in March 1952.

Tanya / Dripper's Boogie - released on Specialty 430 in April 1952.

Freight Train Blues / Blues For Tanya - released on Specialty 453 in January 1953.

The Big Dipper / Everyone's Down On Me - released on Specialty 474 in September 1953.

Whiskey, Women & Loaded Dice / Do You Love Me Pretty Baby? - released on Specialty 529 in August 1954.

Elsewhere On The Blog

Joe Liggins & His Honey Drippers - Darktown Strutters Ball

Joe Liggins - The Honey Dripper

El Enmascarado 78 rpm rips:

Dripper's Boogie Parts 1 and 2 (Exclusive 232)

Lover's Lament / Miss Betty's Blues (Exclusive 213)

Blow Mr. Jackson / The Blues (Exclusive 244)

Worried / How Come (Exclusive 262)

Percy Mayfield - The Voice Within (re-up)

Side 1:
01. How Wrong Can A Good Man Be
02. Leary Blues
03. The Hunt Is On
04. Hopeless
05. Two Hearts Are Greater Than One
06. Lonesome Highway
07. I Dare You, Baby
08. How Deep Is The Well

Side 2:
01. The Lonely One
02. The Bachelor Blues
03. Sugar Mama - Peachy Papa
04. The Voice Within
05. My Heart
06. Are You Out There?
07. The Bluest Blues
08. My Story About A Woman

Ripped @ 320 kbps.

Download from here:

http://www18.zippyshare.com/v/yMV2UzRx/file.html

Re-upped in response to a request by Barefoot Boogaloo. Apologies for the delay, but I had to go out and buy a new scanner. I had become increasingly aware that my LP cover scans were suffering in quality due to fogging on the inside of my scanner glass. An attempt to fix this ended badly so there was nothing for it but to dig deep and invest in a new scanner. As for stitching together the LP cover scans (you need to do four to get a complete cover), I decided to try out Microsoft's ICE free software and the results are as you see on this post. I'm pretty pleased with the scanner and the software and I believe that scanning LP covers will not be such a laborious task as it used to be.

The original post (11th October, 2008) of "The Voice Within" is here:

http://bebopwinorip.blogspot.co.uk/2008/10/percy-mayfield-voice-within.html

It's worth a read - not only for an outline of the career of Percy Mayfield, but also for some melancholy musings over the corporatisation of Byres Road in the West End of Glasgow. Eight years on, and the trend continues unabated. Surely there can't be any business premises left to convert into coffee shops or pseudo hipster eateries? The 2008 post was prompted by the closure of Lost In Music where I bought this LP not long before the curtain came down on that source of second hand vinyl. The comments on the original post are also informative.

There is a reference to The Hound at the beginning of that post - he had posted a soundclip of the single "The Voice Within" on his blog a few weeks before I posted this LP on Be Bop Wino. A couple of years later The Hound posted an article on Percy Mayfield which you can find here:

http://thehoundblog.blogspot.co.uk/2010/07/percy-mayfield.html

As for the sounds on this platter, I don't think I've listened to the tracks since I posted them originally and I must say on re-listening I've found that it makes for hypnotic listening, a litany of heartbreak and personal woe with only an occasional uptempo track to provide relief. I like it. Percy Mayfield was a true poet of the blues as his outstanding songwriting and performances on this album demonstrate.

There is some surface noise on some of these tracks, especially on the rockin' "I Dare You Baby" which has a few clicks and pops. Sorry about that folks. The sleevenotes by Dick Shurman include commentary on the tracks by Percy Mayfield himself.

Additional information:

How Wrong Can A Good Man Be / Leary Blues were released on Supreme 1549 in 1949. The A side was titled "How Wrong Can I Be". Re-released on Swing Time 262 in March 1951 with "Leary Blues" as the A side, and the B side titled "How Wrong Can a Good Man Be." Recorded in 1947. Personnel as per LP sleeve, i.e. Percy Mayfield (vocal); Vernon Smith (trumpet); Marshall Royal (alto sax); Maxwell Davis (tenor sax); Floyd Turnham (baritone sax); Willard McDaniel (piano); Chuck Norris (guitar); Roy Hamilton (bass); Henry Williams (drums).

The Hunt Is On was released on Specialty SP 425 (B side of "The Big Question") in March 1952. Recorded in Los Angeles on January 22nd, 1952. Personnel: Percy Mayfield (vocal); Jewell Grant (alto sax); Maxwell Davis (tenor sax); John Crawford (baritone and tenor saxes); Willard McDaniel (piano); Mitchell Webb (guitar); Ralph Hamilton (bass); Jesse Sailes (drums).

Hopeless was released on Specialty SP 416 (b/w "Cry Baby) in November 1951. Recorded in Los Angeles on July 27th, 1951. Personnel: Percy Mayfield (vocal); Maxwell Davis (tenor sax); John Crawford (baritone and tenor saxes) Maurice Simon (baritone sax); Willard McDaniel (piano); Herman Mitchell (guitar); Billy Hadnott (bass); Lee Young (drums).

Two Hearts Are Greater Than One was released on Specialty SP 432 (B side of "Louisiana") in May 1952. Recorded in Los Angeles October 23rd, 1950. Personnel: Percy Mayfield (vocal); Maxwell Davis and Jack McVea (tenor saxes); Charles Waller (baritone sax)); Lee Wesley Jones (piano); Chuck Norris (guitar); Red Callender (bass); Lee Young (drums).

Lonesome Highway was released on Specialty SP 439 (b/w "My Heart") in September 1952. Recorded in Los Angeles on March 31st 1952. Personnel: Percy Mayfield (vocal); Jewell Grant (alto sax); Maxwell Davis and James Jackson (tenor saxes); Willard McDaniel (piano); Chuck Norris (guitar); David Bryant (bass); William "Bill" Douglass (drums).

I Dare You Baby was released on Specialty SP 451 (b/w "The River's Invitation") in January 1953. Recorded in Los Angeles on July 27th, 1951. Personnel: Percy Mayfield (vocal); Maxwell Davis (tenor sax); John Crawford (baritone and tenor saxes); Maurice Simon (baritone sax); Willard McDaniel (piano); Herman Mitchell (guitar); Billy Hadnott (bass); Lee Young (drums).

How Deep Is The Well was released on Specialty SP 473 (b/w "The Bachelor Blues") in September 1953. Recorded in Los Angeles on July 27th, 1951. Personnel: Percy Mayfield (vocal); Maxwell Davis (tenor sax); John Crawford (baritone and tenor saxes); Maurice Simon (baritone sax); Willard McDaniel (piano); Herman Mitchell (guitar); Billy Hadnott (bass); Lee Young (drums).

The Lonely One was released on Specialty SP 460 (b/w "Lost Mind") in April 1953. Recorded in Los Angeles on January 29th 1953. Personnel: Percy Mayfield (vocal); Jewell Grant (alto sax); Maxwell Davis (tenor sax); Hubert "Bumps" Myers (tenor sax); Willard McDaniel (piano); Ulysses Livingston (guitar); Ralph Hamilton (bass); Jesse Sailes (drums).

The Bachelor Blues was released on Specialty SP 473 (B side of "How Deep Is The Well") in September 1953. Recorded in Los Angeles on January 29th 1953. Personnel: Percy Mayfield (vocal); Jewell Grant (alto sax); Maxwell Davis (tenor sax); Hubert "Bumps" Myers (tenor sax); Willard McDaniel (piano); Ulysses Livingston (guitar); Ralph Hamilton (bass); Jesse Sailes (drums).

Sugar Mama - Peachy Papa was released on Specialty SP 499 (b/w "You Don't Exist Any More") in June 1954. Recorded in Los Angeles on March 23rd 1954. Personnel: Percy Mayfield (vocal); Joy Hamilton (vocal); Jewell Grant (alto sax); Maxwell Davis (tenor sax); Floyd Turnham (baritone sax); Willard McDaniel (piano); Herman Mitchell (guitar); Ralph Hamilton (bass); Jesse Sailes (drums).

The Voice Within was released on Specialty SP 544 (b/w "Baby You're Rich") in March 1955. Recorded in Los Angeles on October 18th 1954. Personnel: Percy Mayfield (vocal); Jewell Grant (alto sax); Maxwell Davis (tenor sax); Floyd Turnham (baritone sax); Willard McDaniel (piano); Harold Grant (guitar); Ralph Hamilton (bass); Jesse Sailes (drums).

My Heart was released on Specialty SP 439 (B side of "Lonesome Highway") in September 1952. Recorded in Los Angeles on January 22nd, 1952. Personnel: Percy Mayfield (vocal); Jewell Grant (alto sax); Maxwell Davis (tenor sax); John Crawford (baritone and tenor saxes); Willard McDaniel (piano); Mitchell Webb (guitar); Ralph Hamilton (bass); Jesse Sailes (drums).

Are You Out There? was released on Chess 1599 (b/w "Double Dealing") in June 1955. Recorded in Chicago on April 12th 1955. Personnel: Percy Mayfield (vocal); Fred Clark (tenor sax) with unknown tenor sax, piano, bass, drums.

The Bluest Blues was released on Cash 1041 (B side of "Look The Whole World Over") in 1956. Recorded in Los Angeles. Date unknown - possibly in 1956 but possibly a late 1940s Supreme track leased to John Dolphin.

My Story About A Woman - unissued track recorded at Chess session in June 1955. Probably same session as "Are You Out There?"

As you can see from the above, Maxwell Davis was an ever present on the Los Angeles recordings, as tenor sax player, bandleader and arranger. A true giant of West Coast R&B whose vital role in the development of rhythm and blues is all too often forgotten, but on Be Bop Wino we do not forget!

Jimmy Liggins Re-upped

Side 1:

01. I Can't Stop It

02. Don't Put Me Down

03. Troubles Good-Bye

04. Misery Blues

05. Move Out Baby

06. Answer To Teardrop Blues

07. That Song Is Gone

08. I Want My Baby For Christmas

Side 2:

09. Down And Out Blues

10. That's What's Knockin' Me Out

11. Lonely Nights Blues

12. Goin' Down With The Sun

13. Brown Skin Baby

14. Lover's Prayer

15. Dark Hour Blues

16. I'll Never Let You Go

Download from:

http://www42.zippyshare.com/v/9x3zKVxM/file.html

Original post (25th September 2009):

http://bebopwinorip.blogspot.co.uk/2009/09/jimmy-liggins-i-cant-stop-it.html

Re-up includes new front and back cover scans plus label scans. Original inner sleeve scans plus original front cover scan also included.

The hard rocking variety of jump blues which comprised Jimmy Liggins' musical output stood in great contrast to the swing based music of his older brother Joe. The original post has an outline of his career and is worth reading. More West Coast Jump Blues will be re-uploaded soon.

Joe Liggins & his Honeydrippers - Darktown Strutters Ball

Side 1
1. Miss Betty's Blues
2. Got Your Love In My Heart (Herb Jefferies)
3. Caravan
4. I Know My Love Is True
5. Got A Right To Cry
6. Walkin'
7. Tanya
8. Sugar Lump

Side 2
1. The Darktown Strutters Ball
2. Downhome Blues
3. Breaking My Heart
4. Sweet Georgia Brown
5. The Blues
6. Loosiana
7. Spooks Holiday
8. Daddy On My Mind

Way back in the blog we had a look at the early part of Joe’s career and in particular at the impact of his 1945 hit “The Honeydripper.” The LP featured on this post was the first of the two Joe Liggins compilations issued by Jukebox Lil back in the 1980s. It includes the follow up hit to “The Honeydripper” – “Got A Right To Cry.” Other R&B chart hits included here are “Tanya,” “Sweet Georgia Brown,” and “Darktown Strutters Ball,” all recorded for Exclusive, a label for which Joe had a total of 10 hits between 1945 and 1948.

In 1949 Exclusive closed down as they were unable to convert their operation to accommodate the new 45 rpm format. In January 1950 Joe and the Honeydrippers started recording for Specialty, the label for which his brother Jimmy was already recording. Joe’s first session for his new label produced the biggest R&B hit of 1950 – “Pink Champagne.” There were further hits on Specialty including “Frankie Lee” and “Little Joe’s Boogie,” both in 1951, with Joe’s flow of hits finally drying up in 1952 with “Cryin’ Over You.”

Joe left Specialty in 1954, moving to Mercury where he recorded a session which failed to arouse public interest. From then on Joe’s recording career was intermittent, his next session being for Aladdin in 1957 with no further recordings until 1962 when he returned briefly to Mercury. In 1965 he cut a few sides for his brother Jimmy’s Duplex and J & J labels, then four years later he recorded an album for Johnny Otis’ Blues Spectrum label. Joe reformed the Honeydrippers for occasional live gigs, and in the 1980s as interest in jump blues revived, the band started making appearances at the major jazz and blues festivals, bringing the sound of the 1940s to a new generation of fans. The final curtain came down on a long and distinguished career when Joe died in July 1987.

Two of my favourite Joe Liggins sides are here – “Miss Betty’s Blues” and “Walkin’.” Both feature that relaxed shuffle rhythm coupled with appealing melodies which was the trademark of the best of Joe’s music.

Ripped from vinyl at 320kbps.

Download from here:

http://www93.zippyshare.com/v/4QZ4uLXs/file.html


1. Miss Betty's Blues (1946, Exclusive 213)
2. Got Your Love In My Heart (Herb Jefferies, April 20, 1945)
3. Caravan (April 20, 1945, Exclusive 216)
4. I Know My Love Is True (1946, Exclusive 212)
5. Got A Right To Cry (April 20, 1945, Exclusive 210)
6. Walkin' (late 1946, Exclusive, 242)
7. Tanya (July 8, 1946, Exclusive 231)
8. Sugar Lump (April 20, 1945, Exclusive 219)
9. The Darktown Strutters Ball (1947, Exclusive 49X)
10. Downhome Blues (1947, Exclusive 250)
11. Breaking My Heart (July 8, 1946, Exclusive 231)
12. Sweet Georgia Brown (1947, Exclusive 271)
13. The Blues (late 1946, Exclusive, 244)
14. Loosiana (1948, Exclusive 132X)
15. Spooks Holiday (1947, Exclusive, 49X)
16. Daddy On My Mind (April 24, 1950, Specialty 379)

Further listening:

Elsewhere on the blog - "The Honeydripper"  - the complete LP.

"Miss Betty's Blues" with the story of the origin of this track, streamed audio of the vinyl rip and YouTube videos of El Enmascarado's original 78 rpm. This includes the other side of the disc - "Lover's Lament."

Drippers' Boogie Parts 1 & 2 - streamed audio plus YouTube videos from El Enmascarado's channel of both sides of the original 78 rpm disc.

The Classics series covers Joe's career from 1946 - 1952 in 3 CDs. Look 'em up on Amazon.co.uk.

Also of interest is the Ace CD "Jazz Me Blues" by Joe's sax player Little Willie Jackson, backed by the Honeydrippers including Joe on piano. This is a set of sides recorded for Modern in 1947. I guess it almost qualifies as a "moonlighting" sesssion as the band were under contract to Exclusive at the time.

Art Neville - Mardi Gras Rock'n'Roll

New Orleans native Art Neville first made a splash on the local recording scene as lead singer and pianist of the Hawketts on their disc “Mardi Gras Mambo” recorded for Chess in 1955. The following year Harold Battiste, Specialty’s man in New Orleans, signed Art to a solo deal and younger brother Aaron Neville took Art’s place in the Hawketts.

Only 3 Art Neville singles were released by Specialty – “Oooh-Whee Baby” / “The Whiffenpoof Song” in 1957, “Zing Zing” / “Cha Dooky-Doo” in 1958, and “Arabian Love Call” / “What’s Going On” in 1959. That means that the bulk of the tracks on this Ace LP were unreleased in the 1950s. Of particular interest to rock’n’roll fans is the shared vocal with Larry Williams on “Rocking Pneumonia”. This side originates from a series of sessions that the two singers shared at Cosimo Matassa’s studio in 1958 as Specialty owner Art Rupe attempted to get Williams’ career back on track following a slump in his record sales.

In 1961 Art moved to Minit Records owned by Joe Banashak. Younger brother Aaron had already signed for that label in 1960, which is actually a very good link to our next post …

There’s some good New Orleans rock’n’roll to hear on this 1986 LP, so download and dance your little hearts out, my fellow boppers!

Ripped from vinyl at 320 kbps.

Download from here:

Mardis Gras Rock'n'Roll (Mega)


1. Zing Zing
2. Oooh-Whee Baby
3. Bella Mae
4. I'm A Fool To Care
5. Cha-Dooky-Doo
6. Back Home To Me
7. What's Going On
8. Old Time Rock'n'Roll
9. Rocking Pneumonia & The Boogie Woogie 'Flu *
10. Bring It On Home Baby
11. The Dummy
12. Oooh-Whee Baby (No 1)
13. Let's Rock
14. Arabian Love Call
15. Please Listen To My Song
16. The Whiffenpoof Song

* with Larry Williams

Jimmy Liggins - I Can't Stop It

Born seven years after his bandleader brother Joe, Jimmy Liggins embarked on his own musical career in 1947. After a brief try at a career in boxing, Jimmy became driver for Joe’s band as they toured the country in the wake of their smash hit “The Honeydripper”. Jimmy couldn’t help but be impressed by the large amounts of money that Joe was earning and at the end of 1946 he left The Honeydrippers to start up his own band, which he named The Drops of Joy.

In September 1947 the band started recording for Art Rupe’s Specialty Records, with “I Can’t Stop It” being their first release. This record demonstrated that Jimmy’s sound was going to be very different from Joe’s. Jimmy’s up-tempo recordings all featured pounding rhythms, shouted, half-spoken vocals and heavy riffing from twin tenor saxes. When the band played slower blues it was with a real gutsy down-in-the-alley feel as you can hear on this 1981 Mr R&B compilation.

The first incarnation of The Drops of Joy had the hard blowing tenors of Harold Land and Charles “Little Jazz” Ferguson backing up Jimmy’s guitar and vocals on his self-penned songs. Chart success came in 1948 with “Teardrop Blues” (Billboard no. 7) and in 1949 with “Careful Love” (no. 15), both songs having been recorded in December 1947.

The first line-up of The Drops of Joy broke up after a violent incident during a performance on the 1st April 1948 in a Jackson, Mississippi skating rink. Little Jazz was slashed with a razor and Jimmy was shot through the mouth. Full details can be read in the sleeve notes of this LP.

In November1948 the new line-up, augmented by Maxwell Davis, recorded four tracks and returned to the charts with “Don’t Put Me Down” (no. 9). In 1951 Jimmy formed a third version of the band which included Herman “Rockhouse” Manzy on drums. In late 1952 or early 1953 The Drops of Joy recorded their last session for Specialty which yielded their biggest hit “Drunk”. Jimmy then left Specialty, possibly because of a money dispute, a course of action for which he later expressed regret. He had only one more recording session, in June 1954 for Aladdin. Four terrific hard-rocking sides were recorded; “I Ain’t Drunk”, “No More Alcohol”, “Boogie Woogie King” and “Talking That Talk”, but none saw chart action.

Jimmy’s music represented a step away from the swing influenced jump bands, and was a move towards the harder rocking variety of rhythm and blues and ultimately rock and roll. Download and enjoy some real righteous riffs!

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1. I Can't Stop It
2. Don't Put Me Down
3. Troubles Good-Bye
4. Misery Blues
5. Move Out Baby
6. Answer To Teardrop Blues
7. That Song Is Gone
8. I Want My Baby For Christmas
9. Down And Out Blues
10. That's What's Knockin' Me Out
11. Lonely Nights Blues
12. Goin' Down With The Sun
13. Brown Skin Baby
14. Lover's Prayer
15. Dark Hour Blues
16. I'll Never Let You Go

Roy Milton and his Solid Senders - Big Fat Mama

The second Jukebox Lil compilation of Roy Milton sides was issued in 1985, two years after he passed away. The jumping instrumental “Rhythm Cocktail” was the B side of his huge hit on Jukebox, “R.M. Blues”. “I’ll Always Be In Love With You” was released on Roy’s own label (called Roy Milton) and the rest of the sides on this fine album were released on Specialty.

This compilation takes us up to the end of his Specialty career in 1953. While Roy’s style of jump blues which had brought him so much success in the 1940s and early 1950s was out of fashion by 1953, some of his later recordings for Specialty and also his subsequent waxings for Dootone in 1955 were great examples of thumping rocking rhythm and blues, as can be heard on “A Bird In The Hand.”

Tracks recorded between 1945 and 1953.

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1. Rhythm Cocktail
2. Big Fat Mama
3. I'll Always Be In Love With You
4. Little Boy Blue
5. So Tired
6. Thelma Lou
7. Someday
8. Roy Rides
9. Blue Turning Grey
10. Believe Me Baby
11. T-Town Twist
12. Am I Wasting My Time?
13. Don't You Remember Baby?
14. Let Me Give You All My Love
15. I Stood By
16. A Bird In The Hand

Roy Milton and his Solid Senders - The Grandfather of R&B

Roy Milton was one of the most important figures in the development of rhythm and blues. He is often thought of as the “West Coast equivalent” of Louis Jordan. Like Jordan his musical roots lay in the big band era, and also like Jordan he formed a small jump combo in the 1930s which went on to great chart success in the 1940s and early 1950s. Milton’s combo, The Solid Senders, developed a tougher, more bluesy sound than the Tympany Five, thanks in part to Milton’s voice being hoarser than Jordans, and also thanks to musicians like pianist Camille Howard, alto sax player Jackie Kelso, tenor sax players Buddy Floyd and Ben Waters (and briefly Red Prysock) and guitarist Johnny Rogers.

Oklahoma-born Roy Milton’s professional career started in 1931 with The Ernie Fields Orchestra in which he sang and played drums. In 1935 he left the band and move to Los Angeles where he formed The Solid Senders. This Jukebox Lil compilation kicks off with both sides of “Burma Road Blues” from Roy’s first recording session in September 1945 for Lionel Hampton’s Hamp-Tone label. There was to be no success for any of his Hamp-Tone material and in December 1945 Roy started recording for Juke Box, a Los Angeles label part-owned by Art Rupe. The Milton-Rupe team struck it big with “Milton’s Boogie” and then had even greater success with “R.M. Blues”. In late 1946 Rupe struck out on his own by founding the Specialty label, which Roy joined in March 1947. There followed 5 years of hits on the national R&B chart including “Thrill Me”, “Hop, Skip and Jump”, “The Hucklebuck”, “Information Blues”, “Oh Babe”, “Best Wishes”, and “Night and Day”.

There are few of Roy’s big hits on this 1981 LP, with the exception of “Hop, Skip and Jump” (number 3 in 1948) and “Where There Is No Love” / “Junior Jives” (number 10 in 1950). The selected tracks are a marvellous illustration of the transformation of swing-influenced jump music into rhythm and blues. There is a world of difference between “Burma Road Blues” and the driving guitar-led instrumental “Junior Jives”.

Tracks recorded from 1945 to 1951. Surface noise on most tracks.

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1. Burma Road Blues (part 1)
2. Burma Road Blues (part 2)
3. Red Light
4. It Should Never Have Been This Way
5. Them There Eyes
6. When I Grow Too Old To Dream
7. My Blue Heaven
8. I've Had My Moments
9. Hop, Skip And Jump
10. Everything I Do Is Wrong
11. Sympathetic Blues
12. My Sweetheart
13. Junior Jives
14. Where There Is No Love
15. Playboy Blues
16. Cryin' & Singin' The Blues
17. Short, Sweet And Snappy

Percy Mayfield - The Voice Within

One for The Hound. I picked this up second hand in one of Glasgow’s few remaining independent record stores, just a couple of months before it closed for good. A store situated in what was once the closest thing that Glasgow had to a Bohemian quarter, where you could while away a whole afternoon or more checking out record shops, book shops and pubs. But no longer, for now every other shop seems to be a coffee/fast food outlet owned by some big franchising company. Fellow Glaswegians will recognise that I’m talking about Byres Road, close to the University. Maybe it’s the time of year for nostalgia as the nights begin to draw in and the sun stays low in the sky. But “nae man can tether time or tide”, as the bard says and I’m sure that Percy Mayfield would agree for, like Robert Burns, Mr Mayfield was wont to wax philosophical in the midst of his song writing.

So heeding the words of the lamented Rabbie, we move on to the contents of this superfine Mr R&B compilation. This is an outstanding collection of blues, blues ballads and the occasional up-tempo jump tune from one of the West Coast’s greatest singer/songwriter talents. Percy’s recording career started on the small Supreme label in 1949 where he had a big local hit with “Two Years Of Torture”. The first two tracks on this disc are from Percy’s spell with Supreme and like the Specialty tracks which make up most of the rest of the album, they were arranged by Maxwell Davis. Fans of the much underrated Maxwell will be pleased to learn that we are all in for a special treat very soon thanks to an anonymous donor to the blog.

Percy Mayfield signed for Specialty in 1950 and had a massive hit with “Please Send Me Someone To Love”. In August 1952 he was badly injured in a car crash in which he sustained severe facial injuries. However his recording and performing career continued. In the mid-fifties he left Specialty and released occasional discs on a variety of labels. “Are You Out There” and the previously unissued “My Story About A Woman” are from a 1955 session for Chess, while “The Bluest Blues” was released on John Dolphin’s Cash label in 1956 but may date from a much earlier session for Supreme. Percy eventually became a contracted songwriter for Ray Charles, penning “Hit The Road Jack” and other great songs.

As is the case with most of these wonderful Mr R&B LPs from the 1980s, this album has superb liner notes including an extensive interview with Percy. The notes are contained on the back of the record cover and on one side of the inner sleeve and I have included scans in the download. The 1980s? Now that was a time.

Ripped from vinyl at 320 kbps.

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1. How Wrong Can A Good Man Be
2. Leary Blues
3. The Hunt Is On
4. Hopeless
5. Two Hearts Are Greater Than One
6. Lonesome Highway
7. I Dare You, Baby
8. How Deep Is The Well
9. The Lonely One
10. The Bachelor Blues
11. Sugar Mama - Peachy Papa
12. The Voice Within
13. My Heart
14. Are You Out There?
15. The Bluest Blues
16. My Story About A Woman *

* previously unissued